Hello, I was just wondering how much the cost goes up from owning 2 piggies, to say 4 or 6 piggies? Eventually I will want to get more guinea pigs when I get my own place in 6 months to a year but I just want to be sure I can afford them.
The cost of owning more thatn 2 piggies?
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Laure
Teenage Guinea Pig
It definitely costs more the more pigs you have.
Obviously you'll need more veggies (but there are ways of saving on that like grow your own etc...), more hay (which again you can save on by buying bulk). Bedding too but again if you use fleece or vet bed you can save in the long run.
For me probably the largest costs increase are vets/medical costs.
The more pigs you have the more you increase chances of pigs needing medical treatement and that's one area where you definitely can't save unfortunately....
I have 4 pigs and probably spent £1.5-£2K on vets and medical bills (inc transport to and from the vet) in the last 12 months. Now i did have a bad run of it with a couple of operations etc.. but that's not completely unusual...
As long as you can put money aside for it then it's fine.
Obviously you'll need more veggies (but there are ways of saving on that like grow your own etc...), more hay (which again you can save on by buying bulk). Bedding too but again if you use fleece or vet bed you can save in the long run.
For me probably the largest costs increase are vets/medical costs.
The more pigs you have the more you increase chances of pigs needing medical treatement and that's one area where you definitely can't save unfortunately....
I have 4 pigs and probably spent £1.5-£2K on vets and medical bills (inc transport to and from the vet) in the last 12 months. Now i did have a bad run of it with a couple of operations etc.. but that's not completely unusual...
As long as you can put money aside for it then it's fine.
The biggest increase in cost is hay unless you can find a reliable source of good quality cheap hay and have the space to store a larger supply. Vegetables and pellets you can often buy in bigger quantities, so that becomes cheaper per added piggy.
You will also have to factor in more medical cost. Any mites treatment or other parasites will have to include all piggies, and that is quite expensive with a larger group - and more likely! There is also a much increased chance of running into illnesses, operations or chronic medical problems, the cost of which can mount up very quickly.
You will notice most wehn going from 2 to 4-6, after that it levels out somewhat, except that your veg bill go up quite noticeably!
You will also have to factor in more medical cost. Any mites treatment or other parasites will have to include all piggies, and that is quite expensive with a larger group - and more likely! There is also a much increased chance of running into illnesses, operations or chronic medical problems, the cost of which can mount up very quickly.
You will notice most wehn going from 2 to 4-6, after that it levels out somewhat, except that your veg bill go up quite noticeably!
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Doeylicious
Adult Guinea Pig
The cost does increase, I won't lie. The easiest way is to try and work out what it costs for 2, then multiply it depending on housing arrangements etc.
Food will obviously double, including veg, I have 14 and spend around £6 - £10 a week on veggies depending on what I buy (I hunt around for offers and literally pick up ever bag of carrots/bundle of celery in the shop to see which is biggest if they are a set price!). Mine are on Burgess nuggets, I know a 2kg bag has lasted us around a week so estimating a 10kg bag will be five weeks...I hope...
Bedding for me is possibly not as expensive as it could be for two reasons - I don't just have pairs I also have (or soon will have) two herds as well as two pairs, so less hutches, also I get mine wholesale when we get our horse's bedding so it's a bit cheaper. Same with hay, I buy it by the bale, once you start doing that you realise how much pet shops rip you off!
Vet bills are a big consideration as is general herd health. If one has mites, they *** all have mites, so thats a batch of Xeno 450/alternative you need. I live in fear of fungal and the associated costs lol. My vets bills must be somewhere near the £1000 mark since last year, that does include three neuters and a spay though, my vet does sneak me freebies when she can. That doesn't however include petrol and my vet is a good 30 mins away as I want a cavy savvy one!
It sounds bizarre but consider the age of the piggies when you add to your numbers, not just for the sake of them getting along but for practical purposes. My two oldest girls are now 5 and are both getting a few health issues, my next oldest pigs are my three boys at around 18 months - 2 years now and Cherry who is similar I think (LauraLucy, how old is she, I have forgotten!) so hopefully no age related issues there for a while. Then my others are all under a year with Tulip just hitting 4 months now, and all being sows, this is when in 4 - 5 years I estimate a lot of vet bills, but fingers crossed it won't be so! Of course any pig can get sick at any age, but I am talking about things like ovarian cysts etc which tend to come on later in life.
So there are a number of factors to consider, I personally just muddle through tbh, I don't have kids and don't have other interests other than my share horse, not into fashion, don't wear makeup, don't drink or go clubbing etc, and have a very cheap to run car, so my pigs are my only real 'leisure' expenditure.
Food will obviously double, including veg, I have 14 and spend around £6 - £10 a week on veggies depending on what I buy (I hunt around for offers and literally pick up ever bag of carrots/bundle of celery in the shop to see which is biggest if they are a set price!). Mine are on Burgess nuggets, I know a 2kg bag has lasted us around a week so estimating a 10kg bag will be five weeks...I hope...
Bedding for me is possibly not as expensive as it could be for two reasons - I don't just have pairs I also have (or soon will have) two herds as well as two pairs, so less hutches, also I get mine wholesale when we get our horse's bedding so it's a bit cheaper. Same with hay, I buy it by the bale, once you start doing that you realise how much pet shops rip you off!
Vet bills are a big consideration as is general herd health. If one has mites, they *** all have mites, so thats a batch of Xeno 450/alternative you need. I live in fear of fungal and the associated costs lol. My vets bills must be somewhere near the £1000 mark since last year, that does include three neuters and a spay though, my vet does sneak me freebies when she can. That doesn't however include petrol and my vet is a good 30 mins away as I want a cavy savvy one!
It sounds bizarre but consider the age of the piggies when you add to your numbers, not just for the sake of them getting along but for practical purposes. My two oldest girls are now 5 and are both getting a few health issues, my next oldest pigs are my three boys at around 18 months - 2 years now and Cherry who is similar I think (LauraLucy, how old is she, I have forgotten!) so hopefully no age related issues there for a while. Then my others are all under a year with Tulip just hitting 4 months now, and all being sows, this is when in 4 - 5 years I estimate a lot of vet bills, but fingers crossed it won't be so! Of course any pig can get sick at any age, but I am talking about things like ovarian cysts etc which tend to come on later in life.
So there are a number of factors to consider, I personally just muddle through tbh, I don't have kids and don't have other interests other than my share horse, not into fashion, don't wear makeup, don't drink or go clubbing etc, and have a very cheap to run car, so my pigs are my only real 'leisure' expenditure.
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At the moment, I'm not noticing any significant changes in how much I'm paying. I currently have 6 boars in 3 pairs, with 4 more on the way
(2 coming friday).
Luckily, only one of my piggies has had to go to the vets since I've had them all so far.
However, I still make sure I have plenty of cash put to one side incase of an emergency.
I buy one pack of spring greens, two cucumbers, pack of 5 peppers and pack of 2 romaine lettuces I'd say once every 2 weeks.
Hay, I buy 4.5kilos at a time at the moment from HayForPets but sometimes I order extra inbetween.
(2 coming friday).
Luckily, only one of my piggies has had to go to the vets since I've had them all so far.
However, I still make sure I have plenty of cash put to one side incase of an emergency.
I buy one pack of spring greens, two cucumbers, pack of 5 peppers and pack of 2 romaine lettuces I'd say once every 2 weeks.
Hay, I buy 4.5kilos at a time at the moment from HayForPets but sometimes I order extra inbetween.
I have to say Doey I'm the same there, my pets are my only luxury as I dont go out drinking etc and work a lot, the hubby has his xbox and kids get everything they need and want so they are my little treats
flintstones
Senior Guinea Pig
I don't find it's much different re veg, hay and pellets but my vet bills have risen greatly maybe I'm really unlucky one of my pigs has cost £369 since the 1st June. My other pigs have all had a turn at the vet I haven't asked how much since January but I do think I am over 1k with bills set to rise 
.
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I figured out recently that I spend approx. 80p per pig per day...not sure what that works out as over a week! lol It would be cheaper for me to buy hay bales, but I don't have anywhere to store them at the moment, so I'm restricted to bags. I haven't had to go to the vets for much, so haven't had the bills which some of you had, but yes, with 17 guinea's a trip to the vets for fungal treatment or mites would probably cost me in the region of £80-100, even though I have a very cheap vet.
There does come a point though where the number you have doesn't really make any difference to the amount you spend, I find that I'm not spending that much more now from when I had 10, despite the fact that it's nearly double the number.
It would be cheaper for me to buy hay bales, but I don't have anywhere to store them at the moment, so I'm restricted to bags. I haven't had to go to the vets for much, so haven't had the bills which some of you had, but yes, with 17 guinea's a trip to the vets for fungal treatment or mites would probably cost me in the region of £80-100, even though I have a very cheap vet. There does come a point though where the number you have doesn't really make any difference to the amount you spend, I find that I'm not spending that much more now from when I had 10, despite the fact that it's nearly double the number.
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I buy my bedding and hay from our local farm shop and also a large bag of food which starts about 11 pound. This last quite some time however I would definately say the noticable increase is in the veggies like the other forum members I try to ask neighbours and buy reductions at the ends of days in supermarkets, but to quote a fellow mum from school today who I saw at the checkout " wow you are a healthy familly all those veggies" I did hesitate then I said actually they are for the piggies!" She couldn't quite believe it. I have 9 piggies and a foster mum and 3 babies.
Also coinsider the amount of space all the supplies will take. My hubby regularly complains about the fridge being full of piggie food, and the store room full of hay...
And I only have 3 pigs
And I only have 3 pigs
I've literally just acquired two new babies which has taken me up to four guineas now. If you like I can keep a diary over the next month or so and let you know how much my costs have increased? 
I tend to buy the massive bale of dust extracted shavings from my local WCF (West Cumberland Farmers)store for £8 that does me for a full month. I also get a bale of trimmed hay for £8, the hay does both eating and sleeping and can last me up to 2 months. I also buy the 15kg bag of dried food, that lasts me for up to 3 months. I tend to go for the reduced fruit and veg in the supermarket, that saves me a fortune, however, we've just got an allotment so i'm looking at growing my own piggy food. Apart from a trip to the vets every six weeks for nails clipped and general once over they don't really cost that much.
flips
Senior Guinea Pig
I spend a small fortune on veg between me and my 5 pigs plus 2 foster pigs. I also buy hay by the bale so that is relatively cheap. My group of pigs are housed on fleece so that is 4 loads of washing a week which adds to the electricity bill. Vet bills are a worry if I were to get a big bill but I have parental back up if I got really stuck.
You should also consider how much waste you have to get rid of. I can squeeze mine all in our bins at the moment (and my neighbours who share them haven't complained yet rolleyes ) but you may have to consider trips to the tip.
You should also consider how much waste you have to get rid of. I can squeeze mine all in our bins at the moment (and my neighbours who share them haven't complained yet rolleyes ) but you may have to consider trips to the tip.
CiaraPatricia
Adult Guinea Pig
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The cost does goes up, especially if they get sick, but there are ways of doing it cheaper, like getting big bales of hay and bedding, cheaper veg, buying food in bulk, etc.
I have five guinea pigs
I get 20kg bags of Versele Laga guinea pig food for €20 each, they only get a small amount everyday so this lasts ages
I get bales of hay for €3 each, lasts ages
Bales of shavings for €8.50 each, lasts ages
At the moment they have lots of grass, weeds, home grown veg, veg peelings, etc. so I am spending nothing on veg. But in winter I buy them reduced price veg and cheap things like butterhead lettuce, carrots, cabbage, etc. so only spend a few euro a week to get enough.
So I spend very little on them really. But they still get everything they need and it's all good quality, they get piles of hay, and are cleaned out often. Also I'm lucky that my pets have been very healthy, and that I work with a vet and she has tre
ated my pets for free when there's been things wrong with them, like one rabbit had an ear infection and a baby guinea pig with an infection, but that was all. But you have to think that if you have more, there is more chance one will get sick.
I have five guinea pigs
I get 20kg bags of Versele Laga guinea pig food for €20 each, they only get a small amount everyday so this lasts ages
I get bales of hay for €3 each, lasts ages
Bales of shavings for €8.50 each, lasts ages
At the moment they have lots of grass, weeds, home grown veg, veg peelings, etc. so I am spending nothing on veg. But in winter I buy them reduced price veg and cheap things like butterhead lettuce, carrots, cabbage, etc. so only spend a few euro a week to get enough.
So I spend very little on them really. But they still get everything they need and it's all good quality, they get piles of hay, and are cleaned out often.
Also I'm lucky that my pets have been very healthy, and that I work with a vet and she has treated my pets for free when there's been things wrong with them, like one rabbit had an ear infection and a baby guinea pig with an infection, but that was all.
But you have to think that if you have more, there is more chance one will get sick.
gizmo01
Adult Guinea Pig
the price increase is there but it's not always linear 4 pigs arent always twice as much as 2 pigs for example you couldnt trace a straight line it is costing us about £30 per month for 6 piggies 2 pigs cost us about £20 per month
lauralucy
Adult Guinea Pig
hi
cherry is around 18-20 months old now is she getting chubby like her sister? who for the first time yesterday laid down and had a cuddle on me!i muddle through to, i dont go out, drink, smoke, have children so the piggies are my children.
i think the best thing to do is increase in pairs, then its a gradual one.
i use newspaper as bedding so costs me nothing, my dad grows herbs for them, veg i try and grav bargains like the reduced bits at the end of the day, hay i buy 10 bags at a time as its a lot cheaper. food i buy in bulk. the worst think about having a few is the vet bills! i've sepnt about £350-£400 since the begining of the year.
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Laure
Teenage Guinea Pig
How many pigs do you have? That wouldn't last very long in my house although my pigs are not that keen on peppers (like they mum rolleyes). Romaine letuce on the other hand.... that's like guinea crack....
I buy about 8-10 different veggies/herbs etc.. a week for them so that I can give a different mix every day. It does add up though. But they are worth it! x)
Laure
Teenage Guinea Pig
Oh i should add as well, because I live in a flat in central London, my pigs don't have access to grass which is probably why I buy more veggies than the average...
which is probably why I buy more veggies than the average...
lily 74
Adult Guinea Pig
I have 9 and they cost about £5 a week on pellets, £5 on hay and same on veg I get alot from the garden
bedding is towels and fleece so just the cost of electric and washing liquid
It's the vet bills that will be the costly thing the more you have the more chance of vet bills, it cost me £30 just for a uti in one of my boars.
the way I see it is I could spend double this amount if I smoked or drank etc so it is my hobby
bedding is towels and fleece so just the cost of electric and washing liquid
It's the vet bills that will be the costly thing the more you have the more chance of vet bills, it cost me £30 just for a uti in one of my boars.
the way I see it is I could spend double this amount if I smoked or drank etc so it is my hobby
JoBo
Adult Guinea Pig
bulk buying is the way to go when you have multiple piggies, i have 17 and i get through 20 kg of Wagg optimun a month and that costs about £12 per bag. I use about 3 bales of fresh farm hay a month and as the season has not been great it has increased in price to £5 per bale. We always buy the reduced veggies in Asda and that way we get great variety. I get given all my newspapers for bedding. so we are talking about £40-£45 a month xx
Little Piggles
Senior Guinea Pig
Another thing to consider if you're expanding is where they will live.
Over the two and a half years I have had pigs, I have had two different indoor cages, One C+C cage, three hutches and three different runs all to allow for more space :...
We started with a pair of girls and have increased up to six. All live in one group.
Over the two and a half years I have had pigs, I have had two different indoor cages, One C+C cage, three hutches and three different runs all to allow for more space :...
We started with a pair of girls and have increased up to six. All live in one group.
piggie-power
Adult Guinea Pig
I went from 2 to 6, and to be honest the cost (without vet fee's) isn't so bad.
Buying in bulk is the way to go.
I pay £11 every 4 weeks for a huge bag of woodshavings.
£12 every 6 weeks for a 15kg bag of Wagg guinea pig food
Hay is £7 every 2 weeks for a very large bale.
And veggies i grow myself - compost, water and veggie food is next to nothing.
As for toys - well my boys i use for recycling - anything made of carboard filled with veggies - hay or food is good enough for them - but i do spoil them to hay cookies which are fantastic for boredom breaking!
Beds, shelters runs and everything else - we get free palets from my husbands old work so everything is home made - they get some cracking toys made from wood and it keeps there teeth tip top!
If my boys ever fall out we can have a new hutch built in hours!
Old clothes/blankets also come in handy for somewhere soft to lay or something to play in. I've made fabric hay hammocks that my boys LOVE! and they cost me nothing!
As for vet fee's - well you never know what to expect where the costs are concerned so i keep a savings account that is for vet fee's only - i honestly believe this should be done for every animal you own as its always best to be prepared.
Hope this helps
Buying in bulk is the way to go.
I pay £11 every 4 weeks for a huge bag of woodshavings.
£12 every 6 weeks for a 15kg bag of Wagg guinea pig food
Hay is £7 every 2 weeks for a very large bale.
And veggies i grow myself - compost, water and veggie food is next to nothing.
As for toys - well my boys i use for recycling - anything made of carboard filled with veggies - hay or food is good enough for them - but i do spoil them to hay cookies which are fantastic for boredom breaking!
Beds, shelters runs and everything else - we get free palets from my husbands old work so everything is home made - they get some cracking toys made from wood and it keeps there teeth tip top!
If my boys ever fall out we can have a new hutch built in hours!
Old clothes/blankets also come in handy for somewhere soft to lay or something to play in. I've made fabric hay hammocks that my boys LOVE! and they cost me nothing!
As for vet fee's - well you never know what to expect where the costs are concerned so i keep a savings account that is for vet fee's only - i honestly believe this should be done for every animal you own as its always best to be prepared.
Hope this helps
ZaraPiggie6
Adult Guinea Pig
i worked out each one (not including the vets) cost me £2.50 a week! So £80 per month.
Well, this is shocking! I know that I will be keeping my piggy's to just 2. Before I had Sweets in a cage that was about half the size he should have and I only had one piggy as well. This forum has helped me get the correct size cage and he also now has a friend. The cost has gone up dramatically. I still change the cage every wednesday and sunday but the bigger cage is using more bedding. I still use the same amount of veggies just split it into two bowls now. but the hay is going like mad! They eat it as fast as I put it in.
My sister has a horse though and I am going to be getting hay from her since she over bought last year and has TONS leftover so that is going to save me a bunch! And I haven't had any trips to the vet yet... knock on wood... but I just figured with a bigger cage I might as well fill it with two piggies instead of one lonely pig. I also use my tips from work to buy all the supplies I need for the piggles so it doesn't cut into our budget thank goodness. I can't imagine having more then two piggies right now. They'd eat me out of house and home.
My sister has a horse though and I am going to be getting hay from her since she over bought last year and has TONS leftover so that is going to save me a bunch! And I haven't had any trips to the vet yet... knock on wood... but I just figured with a bigger cage I might as well fill it with two piggies instead of one lonely pig. I also use my tips from work to buy all the supplies I need for the piggles so it doesn't cut into our budget thank goodness. I can't imagine having more then two piggies right now. They'd eat me out of house and home.
FirstTimeMummy
Junior Guinea Pig
ghostbusterbunny
Adult Guinea Pig
I totally agree. I have 9 now, and will be going to meet and probably adopt quite a few more on Friday. The cost increase was greatest going from 2-5 because I had to start buying more supplies; now we're used to it... Here's what we do currently:
Feeding
Dry feed: Pellets (Wagg Optimum) - £15 a bag. For 9 pigs a bag currently lasts about 3-4 weeks. May consider going onto the Crunch at some point, but mum and dad have said that pellets are fine for now.
Veggies: Reduced veg at the supermarkets; veg from the market; leaves/bruised fruit from the market.
Hay: Get the more expensive stuff to eat; but when buying in bulk (we're going to order 20 kilos of posh stuff for them for about £30) it works out very cheap; it'll last them forever. We don't bother with the excel herbages anymore as they're getting too expensive, but they do sometimes get those as a treat.
Also; try Wilkos. They now do their own Timothy Hay which is a fantastic alternative to the excel hay. They also sell the Wagg food very cheap. For 6, that would be an alternative to buying sacks, and their own dried leaves mix which will brighten up their hay!
Housing
Can be costly to house multiple pigs. For 6 you'd need something similar to a 5x2 double tiered hutch, or an extention to your indoor cage (I don't know about those costs as my piggies are all outdoors).
I've got a shed on order for my ladies, but my girly herd is probably going to end up at 15 strong, so obviously housing costs for me are significant.
Bedding
My bedding is cheaper now than it was when I owned only a couple of pigs and several hamsters as I now buy horse bales of shavings £8. The bales last 6+ cleanouts of 5 hutches at a time... really cheap.
Obviously if keeping on fleece/towel/vetbed the costs are even lower after the initial purchasing of the bedding of choice!
Bedding hay wise they get the cheap farm hay. In summer they don't need so much but the cost will go up in winter when they need padding in every day.
Vets bills
Regarding medical fees I am rather fortunate in that in the last 6 years or so I have only had to go to the vets three times; twice to get Munchie's abscesses looked at. Obviously, I will have to have a little cry if something goes wrong and I get ill piggies; but fingers crossed that hasn't happened yet and hopefully never will! It is definitely something to keep in mind. But also I remind myself that piggies, on the whole, are also healthy little critters, so it's down to you as to what you consider 'affordable' (or at least how much money you could put in a "just in case" fund!).
I've had larger numbers of guinea pigs than the average owner for about 8 years now, and the costs are definitely not as scary as you might imagine. As long as you can afford vets bills should something happen; the rest you can get reasonably cheap if you bulk buy.
Wow thanks for the replies everyone! It's good know a little bit what it will be like. I probably wont be adopting any more guineas anytime soon but when I graduate college I hope to be able to afford a few more.
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